April 1, 2008 — An angioplasty balloon coated with a drug that reduces renarrowing of the coronary arteries appears to be more effective than a drug-eluting stent in treating an unwanted build-up of tissue inside a bare-metal coronary stent. After six months, the newly expanded artery remained more widely open within the stent after treatment with the paclitaxel-eluting balloon when compared to a paclitaxel-eluting stent, according to the Paclitaxel-Eluting PTCA-Balloon Catheter in Coronary Artery Disease II-In-Stent Restenosis (PEPCAD II-ISR) study.

April 1, 2008 — A large community-based registry of patients treated with drug eluting stents is providing important insight into how long patients with complex coronary artery disease typically stick to their doctors’ orders to take clopidogrel, a drug that prevents unwanted blood clots; why they stop taking the drug; and the long-term consequences of that decision.

April 1, 2008 – At ACC 2008, Biomedical Systems showcased its Data Exchange, a proprietary Internet-based application that has been designed for the acquisition, transfer, review and management of Holter data. The application allows for acquire the digital Holter recording from your facility and transmit to Biomedical Systems’ analysis lab, receive completed Holter reports as PDF files within 24 hours of transmitting a recording and allows for online installation on your existing computer including automatic updates as soon as they are released.

April 1, 2008 – Boston Scientific announced results from an analysis two-year data from more than 7,000 patients in the TAXUS ARRIVE Registry program, a study designed to evaluate the safety performance of the TAXUS Express Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System in patients treated in “real-world” practice.

Outcomes through the two-year period in the simple-use (single vessel/stent) patient group confirmed the favorable results seen in similar patient enrolled in previous TAXUS randomized clinical trials (the clinical trial cohort).